An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale rocked Simeulue District, Aceh Province, Saturday at 12.42 am Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB). The temblor did not cause any damage nor claim any life in the province, ANTARA reported. The quake's epicenter was located at 2.12 degrees northern latitude, and 96.53 degrees eastern longitude, or 44 kilometers southeast of Sinabang, the capital of Simeulue district, Vina, a staff member of the Mata Ie meteorological, climatology and geophysics office, said here Saturday. The earthquake was 37 km below sea level around Simelue Island waters, she said. In December 2004, a powerful earthquake triggered a subsequent deadly tsunami in Aceh Province, including Simeulue district, which killed around 200,000 people and left around one million people homeless. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
